December 5, 2005

After winning six world championships, surfing icon Kelly Slater retired at age 26. At last month's Nova Schin Festival the rejuvenated 33-year-old claimed his seventh title, capping an unlikely comeback

Mike Iaconelli has been accused of &quot;thuggin' up&quot; bass fishing, but ESPN is betting (and praying) he can hook the Pimp My Ride crowd ... if some mullet-headed good ol' boy doesn't gut him first

Texas is one victory from a shot at its first national title in 36 years thanks to great talent and Mack Brown, who became a better coach when he realized there was more to life than winning a football game

USC, Penn State, West Virginia and most likely Notre Dame have BCS bids--and the $14 million payday that goes with them--wrapped up. These games this Saturday will determine three more bids and help decide who gets an at-large invitation. The BCS pairings will be unveiled on Sunday.

As the season opens, the nation's most intriguing team is in North College Hill, Ohio, where two players who came from out of state have been embraced by the locals. And why not? O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker are budding superstars